Harry Potter and the Call of the Badger: Book 1
by The New Grimm
Summary: Book 1 of my Call of the Houses Trilogy. What would happen if the night of James and Lily's death a couple of details had been changed? What would change for the future? would he even still be in Gryffindor? (Part of a series of fics that run parallel to each other, which you can (its not necessary) read along side each other! (Hufflepuff!Harry)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hi everyone, this is my first installment of a three pronged ripple effect. Meaning I'm going to be writing three different fiction each resulting in a different house (leaving Gryffindor to canon) as a result for Harry in each hopefully novel series. So please read and review and let me know what you think of Harry Potter and the Call of the Badger Book I

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Lily's mind was going a thousand miles an hour. The dark lord was in her house, her home where she had been raising Harry for the past year, hidden from the eyes and ears of Voldemort's death eaters… What had gone wrong, how did he find them? They had taken all of the necessary precautions, she wondered if Sirius had revealed that he wasn't the Potter's secret keeper. That's when it hit her… Peter he wouldn't have, James had sworn on his life that they would be safe.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a body being blown against the wall. James! She gingerly lowered Harry into his crib, knowing in her heart that this would be the last time she would lay eyes on her beautiful baby boy.

"Mommy loves you Harry" she whispered to him, her eyes filling with tears, "Mommy loves you, don't ever forget that."

Lily ran out into the hallway with her wand drawn, fully prepared to face the Voldemort with her husband, she wouldn't let this… devil man, take her beautiful son. But when she crossed the doorway and looked towards the stairs to see her husband slumped against the wall on the floor, blood running from his arm heavily, her heart skipped a beat. James… her James, whom she had been in love with since her seventh year couldn't possibly be…

"He isn't dead…" she turned around to come face to face with the voice behind her… this was him… Merlin, she could feel the magic pulsing off of him, "He had traits I value my dear… Traits that filth like you couldn't understand. But once I'm done with him he will wish he was dead."

"I understand plenty you monster." She had to keep him talking, she had to protect Harry, she had to save her husband. She knew she had to do all of these things, but she also knew there was no way she would be able to do all of them. But if there was one thing she could do, she would make sure that this shell of a person wouldn't touch her son, "And there is no way I in hell you will touch Harry."

"Stand aside Mudblood, I will deal with you afterwards"

She raised her wand feebly, knowing she stood no chance without James, "Over my dead body."

"As you wish."

She closed her eyes, wanting her last thoughts to be of the family she would never be able to have anymore, "I love you Harry."

"Avada Kedavra!"

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James came to when he heard his son crying. What was going on? The last thing he had remembered was eating dinner with his wife talking about recent quidditch matches that were going on abroad knowing full well that any team from Britain had lost hope once half of their teams were forced to go into hiding… and that's when the wards went off… _Peter!_ He cursed in his mind, how could he have betrayed them, James would make sure if it was the last thing he ever regretted, because if the Marauders ever learned something from school (which they most likely didn't learn much) it was to never cross a Potter… especially when it comes to loyalty.

The wreckage around him was amazing, chairs broken, pictures ripped from the wall, and windows blown out, it was only when he looked towards his son's room did the auror feel cause for panic. All he saw in the doorway, was a head of beautiful red hair. _Lily!_ James was at his feet, ignoring the pain he felt stabbing through his right arm, he had to get to her, and she had to be ok.

When he reached her however, he knew that nothing was ever going to be ok again, because laying in the doorway was the wife he would never hear laugh again, a wife whom he would never share any more Christmases with, who would never see another sunrise, or send their son off to Hogwarts… he would never have anything more with her ever again. Defeated, he rose from her side and went to the crib, his son laying there peacefully sleeping now. Scooping him up in his left arm he whispered into the infants ear, "Don't ever forget the loyalty of your friends Harry, it's the difference between happiness and peril." Then, with one last tear shed, he apparated to order headquarters to recount the events that happened tonight.

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**A/N: **So if you might have been able to tell from the title, this novel will feature Harry as a lovable Badger in the Hufflepuff House. If this plot intrigues you feel free to check out the call of the Snake and the call of the Eagle on my author page. I plan to update these hopefully once a week and have all of the plots run parallel to each other and see what changes in each house.

**A/N-2: **This chapter was edited for length and more story content! Hope you enjoyed it if this is you first time rereading it!


	2. Growing up a normal child

**A/N: **Hello again everyone! If you haven't read the edited version of the first chapter please feel free to do that now! It's a little bit longer after adding some dialogue with Lily/Voldemort (heh… that would be an interesting pairing Lily/Voldemort… anyways) I also added a scene from James point of view after he comes to his senses and sees his house basically destroyed.

**A/N-2: **In the future, all of the chapters from the Hufflepuff chapters will be released on Tuesdays, with the Ravenclaw chapters being released on Wednesday, and the Slytherin chapters released on Thursday. This allows me to have time to work on all of the chapters over weekends and give each one to my beta(s) to review and get back to me.

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**Chapter Two: **Growing up a "normal" child

Harry had heard this bedtime story a thousand times before, but it was always his favorite. It boasted of a brave knight named Sir Potter (of course Harry believed it to be him and not his father) and a beautiful young maiden who was not actually a noble, but was still the fairest in the land. But it was not her beauty that made Sir Potter fall in love with her, but her brains, for she was the smartest among even the scholars she was taught by. Sadly though, she did not love Sir Potter back, for he had a nasty habit to pick on those that didn't think the same way as him, and that, the maiden simply couldn't tolerate. But eventually the brave knight changed and was willing to accept all of those around him, and the beautiful maiden had finally fallen in love with the brave knight and they wed as soon as they could.

But then an evil warlock came to town and threatened to destroy everything they loved, including each other. So the brave knight and his noble friends, Sir Padfoot, Sir Moony, and Sir Wormtail, all rode off to defend their great land with all of the other knights from their realm. The war lasted for a hundred days and a hundred nights, neither side gaining any ground… until one day Sir Potter and now Lady Potter had a baby boy. Now this baby boy was special, for he was loved so much that the evil warlock was jealous and wanted to destroy any happiness they had, so the Potters went into hiding, only telling one of their friends where they would be, Sir Wormtail. But what the Potters didn't know, was that Sir Wormtail was promised power and fame from the evil warlock, but he would only get it _if_ he told where his friends were hiding.

By now the Potter's had gotten used to being hidden… so when there was a knock on the door they were rather startled. It was the evil warlock! Brave Sir Potter did all he could to defend his beautiful wife, but the warlock was just too powerful, and he was soon overwhelmed and was put to sleep by a spell that the evil warlock had cast. Then the evil warlock went to the baby boy's room, only to see the beautiful woman trying to climb out the window with her baby, but the man used magic to pull them back in and lock all the doors and windows. At this point the Lady Potter knew that she didn't stand a chance against the warlock, but she would never let the warlock hurt her son. So she fought with all her might against the powerful man but was soon very hurt, and had to make a choice to either give the man her son, or protect the baby with all of her love. By that point she knew what she must do, so she wrapped her arms around the warlock and said "I love my son, and any harm that you do unto him I will gladly take and cast it back to you!"

Now the warlock knew that this woman wasn't a noble by birth, so he thought that she was so much weaker than him that she stood no chance. But when the evil warlock went to deliver his final blow against the baby boy, his mom threw herself in front of the crib, taking all of the magic and sending it back towards the one who cast it, turning him into stone, which crumbled to dust. Soon the town was going to celebrate the brave maiden who vanquished the evil warlock. But since she took all of that magic in, she too had been turned to dust, but not before she gave her son one last kiss on the forehead, leaving him with a mark of his mother's love for the rest of his life. The end.

Now Harry had always wondered why Sir Wormtail had spilled the Potter's secret, weren't they friends? Weren't knights supposed to be noble and courteous? But whenever Harry brought it up with his dad he got the same answer he always did.

"Sir Wormtail wasn't as loyal as the other knights believed. So he betrayed his friends hoping to become more powerful and rule with the evil warlock."

"But isn't he sorry that Sir Potter now doesn't have a beautiful wife? What happened to Sir Potter and his son anyhow? Did he get another wife?" he would always ask, never satisfied with the first answer.

"Sir Potter taught his son to be the noblest and most loyal knight in all the land, but he never got another wife, because the love he had felt from the first one was enough to love him for his entire life."

Harry was never heard what happened to Sir Wormtail, but he had always hoped that he was sent away to a dark, dark dungeon, never to return again to the land that all of his friends had been… and he hoped he was very, very sad.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

It was his ninth birthday and Harry's father had gone all out with the festivities, including an inflatable Quidditch pitch that the kids could play on complete with miniature brooms and two hoops on either side of the oval playing field. Harry had been chosen as one of the captains and the other had been a boy, Cedric, about to attend Hogwarts, the son of one of his father's business friends that had been invited, Harry hadn't found him intimidating, but according to one of their mutual friends Cedric had a real broomstick at home he always practiced on, not a kiddy one like his, and the older boy proved it by capturing the snitch before Harry could even spot it. Harry found the speed Cedric used to catch the tiny golden ball impressive and eventually gave up on trying to play as seeker against him and switched with another one of his friends to play chaser, which he found out was much more enjoyable, even if he wasn't scoring as much as some of the other kids.

The moment Harry had been waiting for had finally come, it was time to open the presents he had received from all of his friends and father's guests. He got a prank kit from his godfather who said that he would help Harry master the art before he left for Hogwarts in two years; potion kit from one of his not so close friends, Neville Longbottom (A friend only because his father invited their family over from time to time); A copy of Quidditch through the ages (which he was sure he would enjoy after the events today) from Susan Bones, the daughter of one of his father's coworkers, but a friend of Harry's anyways; a wide assortment of candy ranging from Chocolate frogs to Acid Pops, from his friend Terry Boot, whom he met through tutoring; a package of fudge sent in from his father's friend Mrs. Weasley; a set of standard Quidditch boots and gloves from Mr. Diggory and a maintenance and cleaning kit for them from Cedric (who claimed he bought the gift with an allowance he saved up), Harry wasn't sure what the boy expected him to do with it considering his father hadn't allowed Harry to get a broom with his allowance when they visited Diagon alley earlier that month. Then with a wave of a wand from his father a long simple brown box appeared on the table and the wrappings and other assortments of trash were vanished away. Harry's jaw dropped, his father wouldn't have had time to get it with the amount of time he was spending at the office, then he saw his father share a knowing glance with Mr. Diggory, so _that _was how they knew to get Harry the Quidditch gear, he made a mental note to get something for Cedric as a going away present before he left.

After what seemed to be hours of talking with Susan and his newly formed friend Cedric about Quidditch, his new broom, Hogwarts, and of course cake, the night had to come to a close, and after walking all of the guests to the fire place and biding them farewell, Harry had started to feel his eyes droop. The next thing he knew Harry was in his bed looking up at his father smiling.

"I had to stop you from practically tumbling up the stairs"

"Don't be silly dad." He replied drowsily, "you can't tumble up stairs, only down them"

"Oh right of course, how ridiculous of me" James smiled, turning towards the door.

"Dad?"

"Yes Harry?"

"What's Hogwarts like when you went?" and with that he preceded to fall asleep to his father telling him stories about his past escapades at the magical castle.

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It was October 31st, and everyone who was 10 years old started dressing up as various monsters and heroes like a dragon with the wings charmed to make them flap, or Dumbledore with a fake beard made of real goat fur. Harry however, was dressing up in sleek black dress robes, with a golden P stitched over the point of the lapel, the same outfit he wore every year on this day. He walked down the stairs to meet his father with a small grin, they always wore the same thing it was a sort of sad tradition, but it made it obvious that Harry was the older man's son, no doubt about it. In the living room he was met by his godfather, wearing a dark blue set of dress robes charmed to look like the night sky (Currently covered with grey clouds). Also in the room with Sirius was the man harry came to know as Uncle Remus, he didn't really see him that often because he was the head liaison of the werewolf fairness committee that had been started after the war, which required him to go abroad more often than not to other countries quite often, but he always seemed able to show up on Halloween in the same brown robes he always did as long as there wasn't a full moon.

The four of them all made their way to the fireplace and flooed to the Potter's vacation home in Godric's Hollow, although it was never really used for a vacation home anymore but really more as a halfway point from their house to the graveyard. As they left Harry picked a dandelion from the yard and handed it to his father who smiled softly and transfigured it into a pristine white lily. This was a tradition harry had started a few years ago when Harry had seen a picture of his mother and ask if all lilies were as pretty as her. In response James had brought a book of the flowers and ask his son what he thought, Harry had looked through all of the pictures for about thirty minutes until finally pointing out a sparkling white one he thought was sufficient.

When they reached the graveyard Harry made a beeline right for the plot that his mother had been laid to rest in and sat down cross legged at the headstone that read:

**Lily Potter**

_Loving Mother, Wife, and Friend_

_May her love continue to shine as a beacon of hope_

**30/1/1960 – 31/10/1981**

"Hi mum," he whispered, knowing full well that the adults would stay back and let him have his privacy, but this way always felt more personal, "I made a new friend last week, his name is Ernie. We met at the Quidditch store when I was trading in my standard gloves for chaser gloves. Have I told you about that yet? I decided I wanted to be chaser when I go to Hogwarts just like dad… Uncle Sirius said that I was more built for a seeker, but I want to make dad proud, it's something we can share. I hope I don't embarrass myself on the field, I've had Cedric helping me out whenever he shows up on break. I also want to make you proud mom, dad of course tells me that no matter what I do you'll always be proud of me, but I've heard stories about how brilliant you are, so I've been keeping up on my studies with Terry and Susan, but it's all so boring just learning about spells and not being able to do it without going to Hogwarts first. I don't know how you did it, I always wonder what it's like growing up, not knowing that you're magic…"

After a while each of the adults had their chance sit, talk, ponder, and really do whatever they wished while at the grave. By the end of the night Harry was dozing off yet again, but he still made sure to kiss the lily he had been holding in his hand and lay it on the grave at the end of the night, making sure to whisper the same goodbye he always did on Halloween.

"Goodbye mum, miss you."

Harry had been so tired at that point that imagined seeing a man with long black hair with a hooked nose standing off in the distance, illuminated only by a soft blue light coming from a glowing deer. Thinking he was only hallucinating due to being so tired, he didn't bring up the strange figure to his father.

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**A/U: **So there it is, a little happy, a little sad, a little bit of quidditch… well a lot of quidditch, but with a father like James and an "uncle" like Sirius it would be hard to not be a Quidditch Fanatic in that household. So are you able to guess what James' job is yet? Don't worry it will be revealed in a little while what work he does at the ministry, also you will get a little bit of insight into Lupin's job that had been created after the war and who exactly created it. The answer may blow you away! Well, probably not… Hope you enjoyed the guest appearance from Snape, and don't forget to review and follow it makes author's more ambitious to write more! A special thanks to all of you who have read and gave me feedback on all the stories whether through pm or review!


	3. Shopping Trips and Train Rides

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone for all of your reviews and subscriptions, follows and stars, kudos and comments. Every response I get inspires me to continually write to the best of my abilities. I would also like to announce that I have recently acquired another beta for the Call of the Houses trilogy! So I would like to welcome Charlotte of The Beta Service as one of my primary beta readers. So far we have gone through all of my previously released chapters (across all houses) and have cleaned them up plot and grammar-wise. So again, a BIG thank you to Charlotte, and I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

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**Chapter 3: **Shopping Trips and Train Rides

Harry awoke to the sound of a brown screech owl tapping at the window. Groggily he reached over and put his glasses on, after allowing his view of the world to sharpen he gasped at the sight of the angry looking owl. Harry didn't really gasp _at_ the owl particularly, but what it was holding; a tan paper envelope with green ink that he had been waiting for since he was 7. Rushing to unlatch the window (and nearly scaring away the owl) Harry grabbed the letter and rushed downstairs.

"Dad? Dad! Dad, it came! The letter finally came!"

After running into the kitchen Harry encountered a very sleepy James Potter huddled over a cup of coffee. At the sight of his 10 year old son James cracked a smile, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Well that depends on what you think it is."

James chuckled, silently cursing Sirius for passing on his wit to Harry. "Alright well hand it over, I'll read it aloud."

"Noooo dad, it's addressed to me, see? Mr. Harry Potter, Second bedroom… that's me!"

"Alright, alright, I see… go ahead and read it then, I want to hear every word."

With his father's permission Harry tore open the envelope and read aloud what was written in the green ink.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._ Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry looked excitedly up at his father.

"Yes, yes, you must be so surprised to be accepted at Hogwarts… even though I have been telling you about it for 5 years." His father picked up the second page of the letter and read aloud the seemingly endless list of supplies.

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic

by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

James then looked down at his son and smiled, "Well I doubt we will be able to find all of this around the house, get your cloak, we're going to Diagon Alley!"

Harry ran up the stairs pumping the air as he did. He couldn't believe it, just 3 hours ago he was just another ten year old sleeping in his bed, and today, he was getting his wand.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

Harry and his father stepped through the fireplace mantle and into the Leaky Cauldron, traveling by floo being norm for wizarding families with someone Harry's age. Instantly Harry recognized the mangy black hair of someone sitting at the bar.

"Uncle Sirius!"

The older man spun around on his barstool with a devilish grin, "There's my godson! I heard that someone got their Hogwarts letter today. Do you know how we are going to celebrate?"

"How?!"

"By getting you enough prank supplies to last for the next seven years!"

James felt like need to jump in at the mention of pranks, "Or… how about you just take him to Zonko's and get _two_ items, while I go to Gringotts…" After all he couldn't really ban Harry from prank supplies after all of the bedtime stories he had told him involving the Marauders. "we don't want Harry earning detentions in his first term, do we?"

With that Harry and his Godfather stepped into the sunny streets that were already bustling with wizards at ten o'clock in the morning. Harry always loved visiting Diagon Alley, the ideas that wizards came up with always amazed Harry, diamond cauldrons, gum which when you blew a bubble the colors would change, plates that could clean themselves, and the list went on and on. Eventually though, Harry learned not to gawk at the glitz and glam of the wizarding world, and now took more interest in looking around and analyzing the crowd. By Flourish and Blotts he could see a frizzy brown haired girl dressed in muggle clothing anxiously pulling her parents into the store to "get a better look at all of the history books", by the Quidditch store he could see a blond haired kid badgering his father with reasons on why he should be allowed a broom at Hogwarts even if he were a first year, a bit ahead of them there were a sea of red heads, and leaning up against the wall of Zonko's was…

"Cedric!"

"Harry! It's good to see you again! Have you been practicing the Quidditch drills I gave you?"

"Yeah, but there's no point, it's not like I can be put on a team… First years aren't allowed brooms, remember?"

"Oh yeah… well sorry about that?" The boy looked like he was deep in thought, "Maybe we can go to the pitch on weekends and fly around on my broom."

The younger boy lit up at the possibility, "Really?! Even if I'm not in your house?"

"Hahaha, even if you aren't in my house. Well I have to finish shopping; I'll see you on the train?"

"Of course, see you then!" Harry waved as the boy disappeared into the crowed with his father. After losing sight of the two Harry turned to his godfather, "Can I really only get two items?"

"Now you see Harry, getting only two items isn't the problem, you just need to know what two items to get…"

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

James stepped out of the shadow of the bank and into the glistening sun… only to see Harry walking up the street with his arms overflowing with prank supplies…

"Sirius! I said only get two items!" he couldn't believe he had trusted his lifelong friend not to spoil Harry whenever he got the chance.

"What?" Sirius barked back, Harry beside him holding in giggles, "I ordered the 'Back to School Pranksters-Spectacular Starting Kit!' it was rung up as one item! Honestly Prongs, you're acting like I did something wrong… in fact I was teaching him the value of a galleon, why buy all these items for a ridiculous price, when you can get them in a kit at a fraction of the cost!"

"Because he was only supposed to get two of the items in the first place!" He tried keeping his laughter down during his "fuming" state, but he couldn't help himself… James always fell to pieces when they used their old nicknames. (And he did suppose Sirius taught his son a lesson.) After all three of them had composed themselves they decided to head to more practical stores concerning Harry's education (although Sirius made the argument that Harry's pranking career was an essential part to his future at Hogwarts).

Harry was dragged away from the Quidditch store window and into Flourish and Blotts. Books upon books upon books lined the shelves inside the store, Harry's least favorite thing about magic… bookwork. It wasn't as though he didn't like reading, it was just the part of putting his ideas down on paper that he had trouble with (which often resulted in him getting in trouble with his tutor… often). Eventually Harry gathered all of his books and headed to the counter, not at all seeing the fizzy haired girl that was _still_ in the bookstore. Harry ended up running head first into her, resulting in all of their books ending up in a piled up mess on the floor.

"I am sooo sorry, I didn't see you there." The girl said, bending down to digging through all of the books, apparently looking for a few in particular.

"Uhh no, no, it was all my fault. I should have been looking at where I was going…" Harry helped sort through some of the books that lay on the floor, recognizing that a few weren't on the school list, "Why are you reading 'Magical Modern History: the Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts'? That's not first year material."

"Oh well umm." The girls had a blush creeping up to her face, "Well… I didn't really know about this world until last month… so I wanted to get some books for background reading to you know… catch up?"

Harry couldn't help but chuckling a bit at this, "It's all right, my mother was muggle-born and she turned out fine. Well, I have to be going now, it was nice to meet you, I'm Harry Potter"

"Hermione Granger"

With that Harry paid the shop keeper and left to finish shopping with the two adults that were standing outside the store, not wanting to come in because it was 'too crowded' for Sirius' tastes. Handing his books to his father, the three of them went on to finish their shopping without any more instances. Harry's father had gotten him brown owl as an early birthday present, whom Harry immediately decided to name Wings, inspired by his uncle's use of nicknames.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The rest of Harry's summer went by uneventfully, he sent the occasional owl to Cedric and Susan, practiced a bit of Quidditch with his father on the weekends, but nothing really exciting happened, so when September first rolled around Harry was anxious to get out of the house. He double, triple checked all of his items, knowing full well he would get an earful if he had to have his father mail any items to him. He put Wings into his cage, getting a reproachful look from the owl.

"I'm sorry bud, it will only be for a little while, I can let you out once we get to the train…"

"Harry!" He heard his father calling from downstairs, "If you don't hurry up you'll miss the train! And I doubt my ministry car can fly to Hogwarts… although that _would_ be interesting…."

Harry appeared at the top of the stairs not quite knowing how to get down with all of his things, until his father brought out his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa" He said sounding almost bored "Come now Harry, didn't you look at your charms book before today?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes I'm sorry for not doing the summer homework I didn't have… Can we leave now?"

"Alright, alright come on then."

The two Potters exited the house to find a sleek black car with tinted windows. Harry had never ridden in a car before and wasn't quite sure what to do. His father tapped the trunk three times with his wand to open it and lowered the trunk in with ease, Harry assumed that it fit with the help of magic. He didn't realize he was staring until his father cleared his throat, signaling for Harry to get in. Once situated Harry saw his father press a knob on the center dash and speak into it.

"Kings Cross Station."

In the blink of an eye the car lurched to life, and with engine purring they took off down the street. Weaving in and out of the side streets the family arrived at the train station in no time. Harry pulled the trunk out of the car without using magic, as his father explained to him, once they had gotten to the train station they weren't allowed to use magic, because of all of the muggles at the station. Once inside, Harry got all sorts of strange looks as he was walking through the platforms, again he had his father explain to him that it was because of Wings, and that muggles didn't usually have owls in cages or as pets. He was about to launch into why that was silly because owls make wonderful pets when he saw a familiar head of frizzy brown hair.

"Hermione!"

"Harry! Oh thank goodness you're here; our guide neglected to tell us how to get onto the train. It really is my fault though I should have asked. Do you know how to get there? Oh of course you do, how silly of me, you grew up around wizards and witches. Is this your father? Hi my name is Hermione Granger, Harry and I met at the bookstore. These are my parents, they are both dentists. We aren't sure how to get to the train, I don't suppose you could show us?"

She said all of this very fast Harry thought, thankfully his father understood all of it.

"Hello miss Granger, of course you can follow me." His father started explaining all of the secrecy to the parents, "So in order for Hogwarts to make it easy for Muggleborn students, much like yourself, to get to school on the first day they needed to provide transportation in a place that most muggles knew of, hence Kings Cross station. However, they very well couldn't just have the means of transportation be in an open area for just everyone to see, so they chose to hide it from prying eyes, so they came up with this solution."

The two families stopped in front of a rectangular stone pillar where they stood in silence. Mr. Granger was the first to speak.

"Alright, I'll admit, I am completely and utterly confused. How does this get us to the train, and how does this pillar hide anything when I can see to the other side if I take a step to the left."

James chuckled, "Well no sane person would run at a wall. You wouldn't would you?"

"Of course not!"

Harry got a nod from his father and started running full speed at the wall ahead of him. He heard a gasp from behind him as the his face connected to stone and the world around him melted, then came back into focus revealing a scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts express. Harry couldn't help grinning like a fool, he was finally going to Hogwarts after waiting year after year he was finally going. He was jolted out of his stupor by Hermione's cart giving his a forceful nudge causing Wings to Hoot loudly.

"Wow… this is… wow"

Harry couldn't help but smile a little wider, "Something has finally left you speechless? I'm shocked"

Hermione looked hurt for a moment, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Harry's response was cut off by his father coming through the wall arm and arm with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

"… steam engine. Ah alright you two let's start making our way towards the train." With that the five of them started walking down the platform towards the entrance of the train. "Alright Harry let's give the Grangers a moment alone to say goodbye to their daughter. I also need to talk to you over there."

Harry gave his father a confused look but followed anyways.

"Listen Harry, Hermione won't have many friends going into her first year, do you understand?"

"Uhhh…"

"Harry, how would you feel if you came into this world not knowing anyone? Wouldn't you be nervous, or shy, or afraid? Now how do you think she must feel?"

"Alright dad, I understand."

"Good boy, now what do I always say?"

"Loyalty first."

With that Harry gave his father one last hug before lugging his trunk onto the magnificent train.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

Trying to find someone once the train started moving was a pain, especially if you were as tall as Harry, who was short even compared to kids his age. Eventually though, Harry found a first year girl being bustled around by older kids running back and forth with their friends. Coming closer he could see her clutching a book close to her chest as though her life depended on it.

"Hermione!" he waved his hand hoping to get the girls attention, "I have a compartment follow me!"

The younger girl smiled up at her savior and wordlessly followed him farther into the train, into an empty compartment.

"Thank you Harry, I hope I won't annoy you by talking too much on the trip…"

Harry winced, remembering their last exchange on the platform, "Listen Hermione, I'm sorry about that it really wasn't fair of me to…"

The compartment door slammed open revealing a very flustered looking Susan Bones, "You would not believe what I have gone through on this train. I am so happy I'm an only child!" she began, slamming the compartment door shut again, "Honestly, bringing a tarantula onto the train, who does he think he… Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize Harry had friends in here." She gave Harry an expectant look and nodded her head towards Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione this is Susan Bones, we've had the same tutor since grade school and her aunt works with my father in the ministry. Susan this is Hermione Granger we met in Diagon Alley buying school supplies"

They shook hands and Susan sat back down, "So kind of work do your parents do? Not ministry, or I would have seen you are the banquets…"

Hermione looked shy when responding, "Oh umm… my parents are dentists… they don't exactly…"

"Oh I see, you're a muggle-born"

Hermione's face paled, not quite knowing what to expect from Susan. She had read all about muggle-born prejudice that had taken place over the past couple of decades, but there hadn't been anything written about how eleven year olds may react.

"That's brilliant! My father fought in the war. Although he didn't really…"

Interrupting Susan, a red headed boy came in pulling along Neville Longbottom with a tear streaked face, "Have any of you seen a toad, Neville lost his… _again!"_

The crying boy tried to stutter out an apology, but it obviously fell on deaf ears of the red-head. The rest of the compartment ranged between confused and concerned. It was Harry who decided to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Umm… no we haven't seen it, but we hope you find it soon Neville. Once you find him you're free to join us though, you and… uhhh."

"Ron, Ronald Weasley, and you are?

Susan looked slightly peeved and gave a slightly irritated response, "I'm Susan Bones, that is Hermione Granger, and he is Harry Potter… don't you have a toad to find?"

Susan had made her point and the two boys left, but not before Ron's eyes uncomfortably lingered on Harry's forehead. Finally it seemed as though the three new friends had a moment alone, that is until the compartment door slide open for a third time. Without bothering to look Susan threw up an irritated hand towards the new arrivals.

"We haven't seen your friend's _ridiculous_ toad, now would you leave us alone?"

"Honestly Bones, hasn't your father taught you any kind of manners? Oh that's right…" a voice drawled from the doorway, causing everyone in the room to turn their shocked faces towards it. "Oh honestly, don't be so surprised that a respectable family name walked into this compartment. The name is Malfoy by the way, Draco Malfoy. I don't believe I have seen you're family around the ministry parties… what do _your _parents do." He gave a long pointed stare at Hermione, expecting they played some obvious big role in the ministry.

Hermione, not knowing any better from her encounter with Susan, smiled widely "Oh no, my parents are dentists, they aren't magical!"

This obviously not being the answer Draco was looking for, because he looked at Hermione with great disgust on his face, not bothering to hide it. After a long silence he turned to look at Harry, "Honestly Potter, isn't it about time you started hanging out with a higher caliber of peers… rather than with this kind of _filth_ and _blood-traitors_?"

Seeing the tears starting to form in Hermione's eyes Harry heard the same lesson his father had constantly drilled into his head, _loyalty first._ "You know Malfoy, from what I can tell, Hermione has more ambition in her pinky than you have in your entire body. So why don't you just go bully some other some other kids?"

Malfoy's hand went for his wand, with a look of malice in his face, "You'll regret saying that _Potter_…"

But Harry never did regret saying that, because at that moment a voice rang from behind Malfoy, "Honestly you kids, getting into fights before even getting to school. I have half a mind to report you to Headmaster Dumbledore, not that it would do any good mind you, considering the school year hasn't started. But I doubt he would be pleased to hear about this."

Draco stepped aside to reveal an older witch pushing along a trolley of candy. With a sneer the blond sidled his way past the woman and stomped off down the hallway muttering something about his father.

"Now that he is out of the way, can I interest any of you young children in some delightful chocolate?"

Harry looked around, seeing that Hermione could use some cheering up, and Susan could use some calming down (the altercation leaving her muttering under her breath), he decided to buy an armful of candy (resulting in him spending most of his allowance). After the trolley and this witch pushing it had moved along Harry had convinced Hermione to take a chocolate frog box, convincing her that the candy inside was indeed not alive, not forgetting to warn her though that the chocolate did indeed would attempt to jump out of the way.

After successfully cheering up his two friends by getting them to stuff their mouths with candy they realized to sky had gone from a pink sunset into a darker blue of night. Harry's suspicion that they were getting close was confirmed by Cedric stopping by to warn them that they were getting close and suggested they should change into their robes. Getting some obviously looks from Susan and Hermione, Harry got up to let them get changed in private, grabbing his robes on the way out.

Hearing a door shut behind him Cedric turned around and met Harry with a smile. "Girls huh? If you want you can come with me back to my compartment to get changed, it's just a couple of guys from the Quidditch team, if you don't mind it being crowded."

Harry, of course not minding being in a room with a bunch of Quidditch players followed Cedric one car down on the train. Cedric entering first, was greeted by noisily by all of his past team mates, when Harry entered however, the compartment fell quiet. Feeling a blush creep up to his face Harry now felt as though he intruded on some sacred space.

"It's alright you guys, this is Harry Potter, a friend. Harry, these are the guys; Patrick Bagby, Herbert Fleet, Craig Dunn, and Luke Cholderton." Each boy gave Harry a wary nod when their name was mentioned. Eventually it fell into an uneasy silence. Eventually Herbert Fleet (A blond haired boy) voiced their concerns.

"Umm Ced… He isn't sorted into a house yet… we don't want him telling anyone our secret techniques in case he is sorted into another house. You know how competitive Ravenclaw can be, I mean, we finally have a chance at beating Slytherin this year!"

"Oh come off it Herb," Cedric retorted, surprising Harry by defending him, "Harry has so much loyalty in him that he would bleed yellow and black if he were pricked with a needle. What's that saying that your father always spouts off whenever he has the chance?"

Harry felt hesitantly answered, but he was of course put on the spot in front of a Quidditch team, and of course the teen he couldn't help but look up to… So he puffed up his chest trying to look as proud as possible, "Loyalty First!"

The compartment fell into an awkward silence, then the noise came back slowly as a snigger… then a giggle. Soon everyone in the room was holding their sides in laughter, leaving Harry feeling rather embarrassed for trying to seem tough to all of these older boys.

Herbert brought Harry into a headlock and messed up his hair, (well made it messier than it already was), "You're alright Potter! Change into your robes and take a seat!"

After changing Harry was sandwiched in between Craig Dunn and Patrick Bagby. Herb, Harry soon learned was captain and keeper, started going over some of the drills they were going to start. Recognizing some of them Harry shot a surprised glance at Cedric, who held a finger up to his mouth, signaling Harry to not say anything. Seeing the exchange, Herb paused, squinting at Harry…

"And what, may I ask, is our dear seeker trying to keep you from telling us Harry?"

Slightly panicking, Harry looked back and forth between Cedric and Herbert for an excuse, not getting any help from either, the younger boy started to tense up… then he looked at the board in the captain's hand, analyzing the play happening he found an excuse.

"If… umm… you keep your beaters behind your chasers in the wedge formation you won't have any defense from the front if any rouge bludgers come your way… but if you have a beater up front at point you can surprise the defending keeper by having your point beater pull up at the last second to surprise him with your carrier… and umm… have a better chance at… scoring?" Harry came to the realization that he probably shouldn't be correcting the team captain on formations in front of his team about halfway through his excuse, but he didn't want to shift the blame to Cedric.

The entire compartment was quiet, and not the kind of humorous quiet that Harry had experienced only minutes beforehand. Seeing the look on Herbert's face, a point between confusion and anger, Cedric leapt to his feet, coming to Harry's rescue.

"That's… very funny Harry haha. But I think our captain has come up with suitable plays for our team hahaha… Why don't we get you back to your friends." Not waiting for an answer the older boy put his arm around Harry, guiding him out of the room.

They walked in silence until they got to Harry's compartment, "Well here we are Harry, don't worry about Herbert he'll probably cool off by tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually ends up using your play… And umm, thanks for not ratting me out, that was pretty cool for a first year. See you at the feast." Then the older boy raised a fist while backing up with a grin, "Go badgers right?"

Harry grinned sheepishly while opening the door beside him, "Yeah, go badgers."

After being greeted by the girls Harry explained where he had gone after changing, and the events that had taken place. Apparently the girls found this extremely funny and they continued to give him grief until the train came to a stop.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

The train slowed down and came to a halting stop. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a loud booming voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Harry followed the sound of the voice until his eyes came to rest on the tallest, hairiest man he had ever seen. From all of the stories his father had told him, he assumed he had finally come face to face with Hagrid, the groundskeeper that his father had always had tea with after getting in trouble.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Susan and Hermione were followed into their boat by a seemingly disgruntled Ron, who muttered something about a "bloody toad".

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**A/N:** And there you have it! Harry has arrived at Hogwarts and you have been introduced to plenty key characters. As you might have been able to tell, Neville is still "poor defenseless" Neville, Draco is still a prat, and Ron is still as abrasive and blunt as ever. If this chapter seems long that's because I wanted to get all of the school shopping and train rides out of the way and just get the school year started.

To those of you who may be concerned about what houses everyone will be sorted into, that will be coming up in the next chapter so you won't have to wait long! That being said expect a significantly sorter chapter next week involving only the sorting and Harry's days before classes start. However I do plan on going into greater details and introducing you to more and more Hufflepuff students!

Also, another big thanks to my beta Charlotte, and don't forget to leave a review or drop a PM!


	4. The Sorting Hat

**A/N: ** A Big thank you to everyone who has given feedback on all of these fics, it is greatly appreciate while being very motivational for me to continue writing. (Also the fact that where I'm staying has the internet shut off at nine gives me plenty of time to write as well...) Another thank you, to my Beta Charlotte who reads through these chapters and gives every one of them a good cleaning.

Now this next chapter deals with the sorting, it is one of the chapters I always have a fear of writing because I feel that the Sorting Hat's dialogue is particularly challenging. But it's something inevitable that I have to tackle! So I hope you enjoy! That being said, a lot of this is going to be similar to canon because Harry acting different wouldn't really change what would be happening when he arrives. P.S.: loving all of the reviews!

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**Chapter 4: **The Sorting Hat

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagstone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall, "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Harry swallowed, "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any proper magic yet, all he had managed to do was blow up a few pots with accidental magic, and his father wasn't pleased… what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.

He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he had been yelled at by the portrait of Mrs. Black that hung in Sirius' home yelled at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom. Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air, several people behind him screamed.

"What the ...?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and translucent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruffled shirt and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Susan behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.

These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.

The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History" which caused Harry to smirk, of course she would know that.

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Yet Harry couldn't help but believe that this hat was immensely important.

Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Harry heard a voice exclaim behind him, "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. There was a moment's pause.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!" Harry's friend pushed past him, mumbling under her breath

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see a pair of twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an arrogant lot. He was starting to feel definitely sick now.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Hearing a groan from behind him Harry turned his head to see Ron Weasley, Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes in ignorance of the other boy.

A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking quite pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.

"Hmm, another Potter" said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, "Just let me stay with my friends, I just want to be with my friends..

"How loyal of you…" said the small voice, "Some of these friends you met not long ago, how can you be sure they are your friends? How can you be sure they aren't pretending because you are the precious _'chosen-one'? _How can you be sure that they won't betray you?"

"Stop it!" Harry exclaimed, "These are my friends, they wouldn't do that!"

"Are you sure?" Harry could have sworn that he heard the hat snigger, if it could, "would you be willing to risk everything on that?"

"Yes, I would do anything for my friends. Loyalty first."

"Well that's very brave of you to say… but I would rather you be…"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Hufflepuff table, who was cheering the loudest by far. In fact, most of the tables were cheering loudly as he walked to the Badgers table, most of them not including the Slytherin table for some reason. A Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the two beaters he sat in between on the train yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down beside Susan, and opposite fat ghost he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.

He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from all of the Chocolate Frog cards he had. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry glanced at a pale, twitching young man who seemed immensely nervous. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.

And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Nevilleat the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now, causing Susan to hide her giggling beneath her mouth. "Gryffindor!" they watched as the boy nearly fainted beside one of his brothers as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Cedric uncertainly.

"Mad?" said Cedric airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak,

"Can't you -?"

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? The Fat Friar at your service. Resident ghost of the Hufflepuff Basement."

"So - new Hufflepuffs! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? We have had some sort of a dry spell you may say. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost." Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Susan with great interest.

"I've never asked," said The Fat Friar delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding. As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Earnie Macmillan, "Mum's a Muggle. Dad didn't tell him he was a Wizard 'til after they were married. But they've always seemed fine."

"What about you, Susan?" said Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"Well, my aunt brought me up and she's a witch," said Susan, "My mother and father were both magical, but they died in the last war."

Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. The twitchy professor, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past the other professor's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.

"What is it?" asked Cedric.

"N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.

"Who are those two professors up there?" he asked Cedric.

"Oh, well the one in the turban is Professor Quirell the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. He used to be very good until he came back from Romania before last year, but then his lessons became all book work. No wonder he's looking so nervous though, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again. At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Gryffindor table. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. "He's not serious?" he muttered to Cedric.

"Must be," said Cedric, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, two twins at the Gryffindor table were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Hufflepuff first years followed their prefect through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and down a marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice the prefect led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt in front of stack of Barrels.

"Congratulations! I'm prefect Gabriel Truman, and I'm delighted to welcome you to HUFFLEPUFF HOUSE." the prefect began, "Now I'm only going to explain this once. To get into our common room you must tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row… this one here" He pointed to the barrel, taking precaution not to touch it.

"You must tap it in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' which will make the lid of the barrel swing open, revealing a secret passageway like so…" the prefect tapped the barrel twice, then three times, and the round side of the barrel split in two, creating a doorway. "This passageway will lead you into the basement. I must warn you, if you try tapping the wrong barrel lid, or the incorrect rhythm, you will be doused in vinegar and barred access… now funny as that may be, I doubt anyone wants you stinking up the common room with vinegar… now follow me."

Harry and the rest of the first years followed the prefect through the tunnel, the barrel closing behind them once they had all come though. The actual basement itself is round, earthy, low-ceilinged, welcoming, warm, and judging by the amount of light let in by the moon, Harry assumed it would be very sunny during the day. There were lots of yellow hangings, burnished coper and overstuffed sofas and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black, and circular windows that provided a view of the moonlit grass.

"Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher, is our head of house." The prefect explained, "She brings in plants all of the time, some even sing even you can catch them at the right time of day." He gestured to all of the plants, some on the windowsills, others hanging from the ceiling.

"Boys your dormitory is through that Barrel door, and girls yours is through the one on the opposite wall. I suggest you get settled for the night and turn in, there will be a meeting in the morning with the other prefects, all Hufflepuff first years are required to be there, please don't be late. Goodnight!"

Harry waved goodnight to Susan and followed the other boys towards the large barrel. Stepping through the circular door Harry caught a glimpse of what would be his home for the next seven years. All of the walls were illuminated by warm copper lamps, each bed had a copper bed-warmer by its side, in case its inhabitant developed cold feet. Each bed was a four-poster bed that was covered in patchwork quilts, Harry quickly found the one that had his trunk in front of it. Not wanting to be late to the meeting tomorrow morning, Ernie Macmillan suggested they all go to sleep. Which had been no problem for Harry, who had been so full of food he was asleep before his head had hit the pillow.

**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**A/N: **Well there you have it! In all honesty I had to look up what the interior and exterior of the Hufflepuff common rooms looked like and I was immensely pleased. However I did change two things with them concerning the doors. In Canon you tap the top of the barrel because that is the part that faces forward, once it opens you have to crawl into the common room, now I _really_ did not feel like that would be appropriate considering some of the uniforms (I.E. Girls) so I changed the front enterance of the common room to a barrel standing up, so they could simply walk through once it opens.

The second change I made was that to the doors for the dormitories, they were like the original front entrance in which you had to crawl through, now I don't know about you, but if I had just gotten through a day of magic, cleaning up after animals if you are in care of magical creatures, or going through a rough day of quidditch practices or matches, I would not want to get on my hands and knees and crawl to get to my bed… that being said I just enlarged the entrance to where you can just walk through… think of them as REALLY BIG barrel tops… with handles that you can pull on to open… like doors… its basically a hobbit hole door but not… because it is in Harry Potter…

Just wanted to thank everyone for their support in this project that I'm doing, I have many many plans for the futures, and it takes three times as long to write chapter for this fiction since I am writing it for three different universes. So that being said thank you very much for your reviews and PM's they are greatly appreciated. To those of you following or favorite-ing the story feel free to drop a review an let me know what you think!


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